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Show Soil Conservation District Gives Progress Report The Iron County Soil Conservation Conserva-tion district has been very active ac-tive in establishing soil and water wa-ter conservation practices this past year, according to a report recently submitted to the State Soil Conservation committee, by the local board whose chairman is D. Claude Urie. Other members mem-bers of the board are D. Elmer Davis, Elmer O. Gurr, Parley Movie and Alonzo Christensen. The district this past year completed com-pleted 27 new farm or ranch plans and is now co operating with 281 farmers or ranchers who have soil and water conservation plans calling for carrying out practices that will keep their farm and range lands in good condition for future generations. These plans are worked out according ac-cording to the land use capabilities capabili-ties of the soil. Soils are mapped and then given a land use capability, capa-bility, based upon their depth, texture, structure, slope, erosion and special factors such as salt content or water table. Some of the practices carried out this past year were the leveling lev-eling of 1268 acres of land to a uniform grade, the seeding of 1229 acres or range land to adapted range grass species such as crested whett; construction of 21 farm ponds to aid more efficient ef-ficient irrigation; improved water application on 1238 acres; planting plant-ing of 70,000 trees or around 34 acres of two and three row windbreaks; wind-breaks; construction of 67 stock ponds for storing water for livestock live-stock and thus getting better distribution dis-tribution of livestock and better range utilization; clearing and grubbing of 4612 acres of brush land for irrigation and range reseeding; construction of 182 small turnout or drop structures; sealing of four ponds to decrease de-crease seepage losses, and stock-inj stock-inj of four farm ponds with fish. The district also furnished as-sistance as-sistance to several Irrigation companies. These companies constructed con-structed a diversion dam near Newcastle and several measuring devices, Irrigation dividers and irrigation structures near Cedar City and Parowan. The district now has a tree planting machine which enables farmers to plant 300 to 600 trees per hour, whereas by the hand method a farmer could plant only 200 to 300 per day. |